The Gate Wars
by TheSingingSword
Summary: During the summer before Prince Yuri's 18th birthday, a confederacy of petty kingdoms is formed by a power-hungry boy-king looking to take the Diamond Throne and the God Cards for himself. Only a few heroes and a vast army of Black Luster Soldiers and Buster Bladers can stand against him [AU/Fantasy].
1. The First Month

Yami held his breath, gripping the reigns of his silver-armored stag through the vast fields of the Gilded Marches. The long blades of golden grass went all the way up to the shoulder of his elegant mount, which was as bright as snow. The fields were surrounded by a beautiful mountain range, with peaks reaching up into the atmosphere. The wind blew. Save for the heavy breathing of the stag and its hooves thumping against the dirt, the Gilded Marches were tranquil.

For a moment, all was quiet. And then, Yami raised his sword over his head and ignited it in purple flames.

That was the signal to charge. An army of thousands of Black Luster Soldiers and knights from hundreds of Noble Houses ran after him. Above the fields, a Stardust Dragon and a Red Dragon Archfiend swooped into action.

In front of him was an army of confederate knights and legions of mercenaries paid for by the enemy of the Heart-EartH crown. They clashed. Confederated Summoners below summoned monsters of their own to combat the two dragons flying high in the sky.

With a great crash, the two armies collided.

The soil of the fields was drenched in the blood of thousands of warriors. Red Dragon Archfiend was ordered by his rider to incinerate the rebel soldiers in the front lines to block their advance, while the rider on the Stardust Dragon had his beast collapse the mountains to create an avalanche of debris that killed hundreds in seconds.

They were soon challenged by Scrap Dragons who chased them into the sky. When they were gone and the flames dwindled, the rebel forces swarmed across the fields to attack Yami and his troops.

Yami was surrounded. He summoned his faithful companion, Dark Magician. The powerful spellcaster burst out of an arcane circle and vanquished more than thirty soldiers with one blast of his dark magic attack.

Victory was near, but Yami felt hollow. As his Black Luster Soldiers and allied fighters fought against what was left of the rebel armies, he looked to the sky.

_**We are only a few months away from the Prince's 18th birthday. It means that he is due to come home and fulfill his destiny as High King of Termnnia. This was supposed to be a moment of jubilee. A time for celebration. Instead, we find ourselves engaged in constant war. To the north, the perverse and greedy King Forrest Ungard III does the bidding of the radical religious faction known as the Covenant, conquering entire kingdoms in a matter of months and forcing their anti-magic ways upon us.**_

_**But there are great heroes up there vying to stop him. Our main objective is to the south in the lower regions of Emboldor, the Land of Kings.**_

_**The young conqueror, Hector of House Delgado, a boy no more than twelve, has started a confederacy, challenging the Divine Right given unto the chosen one, Yuri of House Wallcroft. With the aid of his sorceress, Francine the Shadow Lady, and her Millennium Necklace, Prince Hector started rallying many Great Houses to his cause. One by one, our grip on the southern region of Emboldor slipped.**_

_**To make sure Yuri never comes home and claims the Diamond Throne, Hector has targeted magical portals to different dimensions, known as Gates. There are thirteen in Emboldor, the last of their kind. If they fall, Prince Yuri will never become High King. And Obelisk, Slifer, and Ra will never awaken from their slumber...**_

* * *

**June 13th**

**Year 18 4AOS**

**High Chancellor Pegasus's Office**

**Day 24 of the Gate Wars**

* * *

"The House of Forhold has hired legions of mercenaries from the Terminus Isles and are marching towards Gate Leonidas," Yami said. "We must act immediately if we are to save it."

He and a young knight by the name of Ser Yusei of the Knights of the Crimson Dragon were sitting together in front of Pegasus's golden desk. Behind him, the glass wall showed a panoramic view of the capital city. Ser Joey Wheeler, the Black Dragon Knight was leaning against the wall, his black helmet crested with a Red-Eyes Black Dragon on the top, was tucked underneath his arm.

"Oh, indeed," Pegasus. "I understand Hector's forces were successful in destroying another Gate, so we must not dawdle. But, uh, whom do we send on such a harrowing mission? Your friends have their hands full. Téa, Mai, and Lady Akiza are still battling in North Point. The rest of your knightly brotherhood, Ser Yusei, is currently in Dragon's Nest repelling a horde of goblins that have taken an oath with Hector. And I believe Yuma and Yuya are all tangled up in the Blue Mountains. Ah, and the princes of your 'Alliance', Yugi-boy, are returning home to fortify their defenses against King Forrest up north."

"They'll be back," Yusei assured him.

"Regardless, we need heroes here in the capital. It would be unwise to leave it defenseless at a time like this, wouldn't you agree? I believe we should give your new apprentice a chance in combat, Yugi-boy."

Joey turned to look at the door. A boy named Yusaku was standing by the entrance, his armor concealed underneath his indigo cloak. He smiled. Finally, he would go to the field of battle and see some action. Ever since the Gate Wars began, his master, Yugi, recommended that he stay behind and act as a guard for Pegasus and his family.

"Ya mean him?" he asked. I don't know, Chancellor. Perhaps someone with a little more experience."

"He's right," said Yusei. "Master Yugi should go and deal with those mercenaries. They are under the command of a faction known as Kenneth Squad. They wiped out most of our forces in the Battle of Gaia Falls, causing Hector to claim Gate Imperious and destroy it."

"He's right," said Yami. "We cannot afford to lose another Gate. My armies are ready, Pegasus. Give the command and we will begin our march to Alcrest and defend the Gate."

"Good, and bring young Yusaku as well." Pegasus stood up and walked toward the young man. "And let him show us how ready he is. By my order, he is to receive special command of the Black Luster Soldiers. You have trained Yusaku well as both a Duelist and a Summoner, Yugi. He and his Cyberse monsters have proven quite effective against the enemy forces, and they impressed me in the battle against the hobgoblins of Rosepond. He has exceptional skill, Yugi-boy. Let him show it."

Yusei stood. "Pegasus, with all due respect, I feel that Yusaku is not yet ready to tackle such a responsibility."

"Yes," said Yami. "I think it's best —"

Pegasus held up his hand. "I have spoken. Ready your troops and begin your march to Aldcrest. Every second we waste here is precious."

Yami was not pleased with this, but orders were orders. He gathered 15,000 Black Luster Soldiers fresh from the Temple of the Goddess of War and led them out of the gates of Rassay to Aldcrest.


	2. The Battle of Red Market

The country of Alcrest was described by many as a garden world. The Flower Pot of Emboldor some called it. Or a Mini-Gardenrealm. The vast fields were an explosion of brilliant color fighting for supremacy. Reds, pinks, greens, yellows, and blues painted a canvas of serenity throughout the countryside, overlooked by green mountains that stretched northward to join the Great White Mountains.

It broke Yami's heart to know the Fields of Red Market was going to be the site of the battle this day. It obviously got its name from the endless sea of red flowers that carpeted the valley. But the invaders paid for by the boy-king cared not for respecting the land's natural beauty. Not only did these mercenaries from the Terminus Isle defile the landscape by digging an ugly network of trenches with sandbag fortifications, but they cut down the Kingswood trees to make walls surrounding their mobile fortress which was at a standstill beside a lake. The water there was cooler and clearer than any other lake in Emboldor. Yami prayed to the Goddesses that these vermin did not desecrate its waters too.

Someone came riding towards them on a most unusual dragon. It was red and white, covered with spikes and ran like a chicken, its head was crowned with ivory horns and two crecent-shaped spikes came from both its sides looking like wings decorated with orbs of green and red. Its most striking feature was that it had eyes of red and green. Yami smiled when he realized it was his apprentice, Yuya, a boy who hailed from the Pendulum Dimension.

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon was the creature he was riding. It stopped in front of Yami, the reigns clinking with every move it made.

"Master," Yuya said. "Good to see you."

They shook hands despite Yuya was still mounted on his dragon.

"Good to see you, young one. I am to understand you were in Dragon's Nest defending the Gate of House Von Klause."

"Yuma's got it taken care of. I just had to come down here to Red Market. This is one of my favorite spots in this entire dimension. I won't let these scumbags ruin it. Did you see what they did to Ruby Hill? Those bastards."

"When we expel them from these lands, we will see it restored to its former glory," Yami promised him. "What do we have so far."

Yuya threw him a pair of hi-tech binoculars from his world.

"Check it out for yourself," he said. "They've got machine monsters in their ranks right now. Created by the Howard Family. Saber Slashers, Golgoil, Cannon Soldier, and even Labyrinth Tanks."

"Labyrinth Tanks," Yami said with a heavy sigh. "Goddesses, nothing's ever easy, is it?"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Master, but up there, in the ridge of the mountains, they've got Launcher Spiders and Dharma Cannons ready to decimate our forces with a salvo of missiles. House Redcrest and Hoth tried to assault the fortress a while ago. Their forces were decimated in a matter of minutes. If we're going to take their forces head-on, we've got to take down their rocket launchers first."

Yusaku stepped forward. "Master, I'll take the Black Luster Soldiers from Millennium Squad and destroy their rocket monsters."

"Good thinking, Yusaku. Be swift and don't be overzealous. What happens up there affects what goes on down here."

Moments later, Yusaku led a squad of unique Black Luster Soldiers through the mountains. Their armor was colored gold and trimmed with black and decorated with white scrollwork. Their heavy pauldrons had white and gold banners hanging from them. He held up his fist, commanding them to stop.

He saw them. Launcher Spiders were crawling towards the ledges of the mountain, ready to strike down the next offensive heading their way. The little red and white Dharma Cannons wheeled up next to them.

He heard a horn bellow from down below. The battle had begun. He heard what sounded like thunder coming from the east, but it was actually Yami leading his forces to battle against the machines who have taken control of Red Market. The Launcher Spiders beeped and the flaps of their rocket launchers opened.

Yusaku took a deep breath and summoned a monster called Code Talker. The cybernetic warrior raised his chain-shaped blade and charged toward a small group of Dharma Cannons. He dashed forward and in the next second, he was on the other side of the group. The Dharma Cannons beeped in distress and exploded.

The Launcher Spiders raised an alert and then regular footsoldiers stormed from their tents. They charged towards Code Talker. With one slash of his sword, he swept them away like match sticks.

Yusaku raised his sword and charged, the Black Luster Soldiers of Millennium Squad followed after him. The cut through the Launcher Spiders with ease.

A rebel soldier fired a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher at the Black Luster Soldier, but Code Talker jumped and caught the missile with his bare hand. He spun and tossed it back at the soldier. He tried to run, but it struck him, creating an explosion that sent a cloud of black smoke into the air.

Meanwhile, down below, Yami blew on his magical artifact, The Grand Horn of Heaven, again to increase the constitution of his soldiers with its magic. The Black Luster Soldiers and Buster Bladers in his army felt energy flowing inside of them. They all felt like they could fight an army of Blue-Eyes White Dragons. They let out a mighty battle cries and smashed into a battalion of Saber Slashers who were lead by Robotic Knights, which increased their power so long as they were on the battlefield.

Yami and his forces seemed to mow down though the Saber Slashers. They had a few casualties but it did stop their charge. Just then, the Cannon Soldiers climbed up to the top of the mobile fortress. Their long, green, cannons dropped and they aimed. They spoke with one another in a language of beeping noises and clicks, then fired.

Yuya held up his palm and created an arcane circle that shielded both him and Yami from the blasts. The explosions stung Yami's ears and the vibration that followed seemed to rattle his bones. A few rounds smashed into his forces.

"NO!" Yami shouted.

"You've got to keep moving forward!" Yuya shouted.

Yami channeled all his mana and then three white glyphs orbited his arm. "Fly! Chimera the Master of Beasts!"

Yami summoned an improved form of Chimera the Flying Mystical Beast. After many years of summoning the former, it grew in power until it became the Master of Beasts; a monster Yami was very proud to have in his arsenal.

Chimera sprinted alongside him for a moment then took off into the air, rolling and flipping elegantly through the air to avoid the cannon blasts and the flurry of arrows heading his way. He spotted Launcher Spiders setting up on the other side of the valley and flew towards with so much speed and power he created a sonic boom that shook Red Market.

Yami heard knights from the Noble Houses cheer when the monster annihilated the Launcher Spiders and flew back to the fortress where he picked off the Cannon Soldiers one-by-one. But the cheering stopped and turned into cries of agony. Yami turned and saw that something was drilling out of the ground. A red drill buzzed as it ruined the earth, sending a few soldiers flying away.

The Labyrinth Tanks rolled out and began to mow down his rear flank.

"I'll handle them!" Yuya said. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon screeched as it sprinted to the left and headed up the formation to aid his master in destroying them. "You know what to do, buddy!" Yuya shouted.

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon roared and began to transform. It became Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon. Again, the knights of the Noble Houses cheered in triumph when the raging beast started toppling the Labyrinth Tanks like they were toys.

It was finally time to storm the moving fortress. Chimera the Master of Beasts smashed the gates down and their troops poured in to deal with the mechanical forces inside and secure Red Market from the boy-king's grip.

When all the soldiers evacuated the fortress, Chimera, the Master of Beasts and Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon bathed it in flames and burned it down.

Yami breathed a sigh of relief to know the battle was finally over, but he knew they still had a long way to go to secure the freedom of Southern Emboldor. The future of the world depended on the outcome of this war. He looked to the horizon and prayed that his friends would be successful as he was.


End file.
